I spent a bit of my workday Thursday at urgent care – I’ve had a red, painful, hot, swollen spot on top of my foot since Saturday and I have no idea what it’s from. Doesn’t look like a bite. I haven’t stubbed my toes or dropped anything on my foot, plus there’s no bruising. After xrays and blood tests, a broken bone, gout, and cellulitis were eliminated. Apparently it doesn’t look like rheumatoid or osteoarthritis. The doctor decided maybe it was a low-grade infection and sent me home with antibiotics. Here’s hoping…

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Many thanks to Nico Jaye for donating an ebook copy of her freshly released m/m romance, Different Strokes, for a lucky commenter to win!

When his regular masseuse is called away on a family emergency, Tomas does not expect Darren, her temporary replacement, to be such an attractive distraction. Tomas has always been a serious, no-nonsense type of swimmer; after all, elite competition leaves no room for unprofessional conduct. However, he finds it extremely difficult to stay on the right side of the professional line with Darren tending to his needs.

Nico Jaye is a fan of all things HEA and has dragged her romance collection along for her moves from San Francisco to Los Angeles to Chicago to New York and back. She thinks reading is awesome and loves that she can hang out night after night with crinoline-wearing debutantes, brawny firemen in suspenders, and werewolf shifters with Scottish brogues. Nico loves Hello Kitty, spontaneous traveling, pretending to be crafty, and hot menfolk (not necessarily in that order). An overall feline enthusiast, she may or may not have a cat named “Nico” from whom she borrowed this pen name. You can find out more about Nico and her books at her website, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and NSFW Tumblr.

Contest Rules

To enter, leave a comment stating that you are entering the contest. Contest closes 7 pm CST, Monday, December 30.

By entering the contest, you’re confirming that you are at least 18 years old.

If you haven’t commented before, your comment will not be visible until after I moderate it. Please do not leave a second comment because your first doesn’t show up! The blog gnomes will decide your comments are spam and then only ritual dust bunny sacrifice will salvage your entry…

If your comment is actually an advertisement or if your CommentLuv link turns it into an advertisement, your comment will be deleted. (Most of you do not need to worry – this refers to some pretty clever comment spam.)

Winners will be selected by random number.

You must leave a valid email address in the “Email” portion of the comment form.

Candlelight, mistletoe, gaily wrapped packages beneath a trimmed tree, and someone to share it with. That’s all Barry Richards wants for Christmas. Desperate for a traditional holiday, he creates a profile on GetaDate.com, in hopes of finding the perfect man in a matter of weeks. One date after another goes sour, while all around him friends are falling in love, and Barry starts to lose faith.

The first snow falls and the world fills with seasonal cheer, all except for Barry, for whom time is running out. Facing the prospect of a lonely holiday, he tries just once more to make The Match Before Christmas.

The man of Barry’s dreams has gone from a sugarplum fantasy to sweet reality, thanks to the GLBT dating site GetaDate.com. Introducing a new boyfriend to the family and settling into coupledom isn’t the easiest thing in the world for a man with little dating experience, but the romantic demands of Valentine’s Day are beyond Barry’s imagination. His piteous cry for help brings all kinds of suggestions from family and friends. Fully believing he’s found the perfect ways to charm his sweetheart, Barry isn’t prepared to hear “Achoo ” at every turn. Adam’s allergic to what? And will sneezes and welts wreck Barry’s painstaking plans for Fanning the Flames?

A dating site profile faked up to make geeky gamer Otis Tucker more alluring hasn’t done much for his social life, so what does he have to lose by putting his real picture and honest interests online? His pal Barry swears there’s someone out there who will love Otis for himself, extra pounds and all.

Handsome Garret Mims sends “I’d love to meet you!” but takes things so slow Otis is quite sure they’re stopped. Is it really a date if there’s not so much as a kiss between them? Maybe he shouldn’t worry about Garret’s intentions and just enjoy every platonic moment. Instead, Otis could work on finding the missing ingredient for his pumpkin pies before Thanksgiving.

Garret’s upfront in every way but one, and Otis may have found a lie he can live with.

Our heroine sits quietly in her cube, just one of many, typing, filing, and breaking the occasional nail, hiding her true identity beneath her clever disguise of nerdy glasses and business suits (with sensible shoes!). Frantic eyes watch the clock as she waits impatiently for the ruse to end and her true calling to begin.

With eager anticipation she drives her average car to her average home, and eats her average (vegetarian and completely healthy!) meal alone. The minutes tick by, and when the sun finally sets she leaps tall sofas in a single bound, shedding her disguise to take on her true super heroine persona! Is she in such a rush to save the world? Save the city? Save the neighbor’s kitten from a tree! No! She liberates her laptop from the evil clutches of arch villain, Hall Closet, and flings it open to free the worlds hiding within its depths. There are lonely werewolves searching desperately for mates, spoiled rich boys just waiting for her gentle caress of the keyboard to create someone who’ll truly understand them, and futuristic soldiers, gunning across the universe to save the men they love… No scenario is too bizarre! A time traveling pirate? No problem! Violin playing specter haunting a Scottish castle? You betcha!

When she’s not busily creating happy-ever-afters for fictional hotties, our heroine enjoys music, the great outdoors, and cruising down the highway on the back of a Harley Davidson.

To enter, leave a comment stating that you are entering the contest. Contest closes 7 pm CST, Monday, December 30.

By entering the contest, you’re confirming that you are at least 18 years old.

If you haven’t commented before, your comment will not be visible until after I moderate it. Please do not leave a second comment because your first doesn’t show up! The blog gnomes will decide your comments are spam and then only ritual dust bunny sacrifice will salvage your entry…

If your comment is actually an advertisement or if your CommentLuv link turns it into an advertisement, your comment will be deleted. (Most of you do not need to worry – this refers to some pretty clever comment spam.)

Winners will be selected by random number.

You must leave a valid email address in the “Email” portion of the comment form.

2013 12 18

Many thanks to Amy Lane for donating an ebook copy of her forthcoming m/m romance, Going Up, for a lucky commenter to win! Going Up will be released by Dreamspinner Press on December 25. Thanks to Amy for donating a second copy when the comments hit 100!

Every dreary day, Zach Driscoll takes the elevator from the penthouse apartment of his father’s building to his coldly charmed life where being a union lawyer instead of a corporate lawyer is an act of rebellion. Every day, that is, until the day the elevator breaks and Sean Mallory practically runs into his arms.

Substitute teacher Sean Mallory is everything Zach is not – poor, happy, and goofily charming. With a disarming smile and a penchant for drama, Sean laughs his way into Zach’s heart one elevator ride at a time. Zach would love to get to know Sean better, but first he needs the courage to leave his ivory tower and face a relationship that doesn’t end at the “Ding!”

Amy Lane knits, mothers four children, and writes like she’s got a slave-driver with a whip and a cattle-prod standing behind her chair. She, her brood, and her beloved mate, Mack, live in a crumbling mortgage in Citrus Heights, California, which is riddled with spiders, cats, a really gassy dog, and more than its share of fancy and weirdness. Feel free to visit her at her blog and her website, where she will ride the buzz of receiving your e-mail until her head swells and she can no longer leave the house.

Contest Rules

To enter, leave a comment stating that you are entering the contest. Contest closes 7 pm CST, Monday, December 23.

By entering the contest, you’re confirming that you are at least 18 years old.

If you haven’t commented before, your comment will not be visible until after I moderate it. Please do not leave a second comment because your first doesn’t show up! The blog gnomes will decide your comments are spam and then only ritual dust bunny sacrifice will salvage your entry…

If your comment is actually an advertisement or if your CommentLuv link turns it into an advertisement, your comment will be deleted. (Most of you do not need to worry – this refers to some pretty clever comment spam.)

Winners will be selected by random number.

You must leave a valid email address in the “Email” portion of the comment form.